1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to vehicle modeling and design systems and, more particularly, to an architectural system for adjustably recreating a vehicle interior which is particularly useful in assisting automakers in accurately and inexpensively establishing a given set of vehicle interior dimensions for ergonomic testing and without regard to a particular exterior vehicle styling or ornamentation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The relevant prior art is concerned with the creation of vehicle interior designs. Traditionally, the designing of vehicle dimensions, both exterior and interior, was accomplished by a fairly sizeable number of individuals constructing a vehicle model out of a large quantity of clay. Unfortunately, a combination of factors including the number of individuals involved, the material cost of the raw material, and the relatively large number of hours required in constructing the model make it unduly burdensome for automakers to construct such vehicle designs. An additional drawback with clay modeling designs is that they are drawn primarily to illustrating exterior vehicle dimensions and ornamentation and do not do a good job of establishing accurate vehicle interior dimensions.
More recently, vehicle designing, both interior and exterior, has been accomplished through the use of computer aided designing (CAD) techniques. As is known in the art, a fairly powerful computer is loaded with appropriate drafting software which an operator utilizes to create desired vehicle dimensioning. An obvious drawback of CAD designing is that it does not provide any type of life-like replication of vehicle interiors and exteriors and, furthermore, its use renders it largely impossible to achieve any desired dimensioned and ergonomic "feel" of a vehicle interior.
An example of a method of making a unified interior and exterior design verification model drawn for CAD machines is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 5,231,749, issued to Hutchison. The method of Hutchison includes the steps of defining a series of separable parts of the interior and exterior designs according to distinct mathematical models. A series of bench mark planes are provided within the interior and exterior surfaces of the design and the interior and exterior portions are separated from each other at the bench mark plane when the interior portion is formed and the interior and exterior portions are assembly together at the bench mark plane. Finally, the separable parts or modules are assembled together at the bench mark plane and the present method provides for the disassembly of the particular modules and their modification in holding fixtures.
Other examples drawn from the prior art include U.S. Pat. No. 4,555,836, issued to Martin, which teaches a method of making a prototype from concept drawings and which includes building a skeletal body of interlocking and substantially rigid templates on a frame. The frame in turn is constructed of tubing members and panels and is fitted with wheels to facilitate transporting of the prototype. The templates are then traced on polystyrene foam pattern pieces sized to fill the spaces between the templates and pattern pieces are then attached to the frame and shaped to the desired design contour surface.